There may have been few signs of it lately on FRUCTOPIA, but don’t be fooled, fructose malabsorption still plays a major role in my life. While I sometimes feel as though the symptoms are not worth mentioning anymore, I can’t help but remember the hell I used to go through before receiving the liberating diagnosis. Who would have thought, I’m actually feeling rather fine these days. True story.
“Well, good for you!“ you might find yourself thinking. When you are new to fructose malabsorption and knee-deep into your elimination phase, you may also be asking yourself how anyone could possibly be feeling fine, when dealing with fructose malabsorption? …
Seeing lettuce heads hanging low, mere pale shadows of their former selves, while all the iridescent and plump berries have retired to the freezers emphasizes the writing on the wall: Winter in Turkey has arrived. Not only are the temperatures dropping, so is the availability of fructose free fruits and veggies. But don’t despair, there are still some fructose friendly gems around just waiting to be turned into warming soups and stews, hearty casseroles and fondues. All we need to do, is to switch our focus from green to white: Wake up dear celery roots and parsnips! These days we require more nutrients and energy to keep us warm than during any other time of the year. …
Most of my recipes are a byproduct of me going nuts at the weekly farmers markets, buying more produce than I can handle. That’s why recipes such as this 
Is this really today’s date? Are we already this close to October? As for the summerlong silence on Fructopia, that could only mean one thing:
Spring arrived in Istanbul a few weeks ago and we are already heading full speed towards Summer. While in Southern Turkey the skin-warming sun lures people into the sea for the first time this year, in Istanbul we are celebrating the sun’s return by letting sweet and plump, bright red strawberries melt in our mouths. All the while the Spring showers, turning the Black Sea region into a bright green wonderland, are responsible for the abundance of delicate and rich greens on display at our weekly farmers market. Trying to refrain oneself from those treats would almost be an insult to this country’s fertility. Thus, happily volunteering to pay tribute, mint, parsley, dill, thyme, basil and other greens pile up in our kitchen every week. We’ve become quite creative in terms of putting the various herbs to use, though sometimes we just can’t keep up and the delicate little plants wither away. To use up all of the leftover herbs in due time I came up with this little rainbow salad. Instead of the usual lettuce I put in bol bol (Turkish for plenty of) fresh herbs resulting in a feast for the eyes and fireworks for your taste buds. I wouldn’t even mind having this salad two days in a row. …
Last month I treated myself to a little something special. No, I didn’t visit any expensive restaurants, nor did I spend a day at a local Hamam (well actually, I did that too). I did however venture into the world of Ayurveda. Seriously? Ayurveda? Yes, seriously. At the end of the day everybody has their own idea of what a proper ‘treat’ should look like, right? And no, just to spoil the premature excitement and even though that would have been a nice treat as well, I didn’t spend 4 weeks at a yoga resort, meditating all day and sipping on one chai after another, as might be the common association when it comes to Ayurveda. (Note to self: Remember to travel to a distant place and meditate for four weeks someday). Anyway, my exploration into the field of Ayurveda was of course food related and came in form of an Ayurveda cooking class. It sounded interesting enough to make me get up very early on a Sunday morning and literally hop on a ferry to the Asian side of Istanbul.
When it comes to breakfast, pretty much everyone has his or her own idea of the “perfect” set-up. The choices are endless, be it cold or warm, liquid or solid, savory or sweet, or nothing at all. Since being diagnosed with FM breakfast is not only mandatory for me but also a way to start my day in a calmer manner. It’s a chance for me to be nice to my stomach first thing in the morning, so that it won’t be too upset later in the day if something wrong comes along. Whenever I skip breakfast entirely the day is basically ruined. Then all I think about is ‘how on earth will I get something quick to eat on the way to wherever I’m headed. Which is, as you probably know yourselves, rather impossible. So breakfast has become a very important part of my morning routine. …
Last year, during my initial phase of going gluten free I reflected not only on my wheat consumption but also on my diet in general. I figured that I was consuming a lot more dairy here in Istanbul than I used to do back in Berlin. Since moving here I had yoghurt for breakfast every single morning, drank many, many café lattes and ate lots of salads topped with loads of feta cheese. Everybody knows, too much of anything is never good, so I felt the urge to put a halt on this. In the back of my head I developed this thought that just maybe I could hit two birds with one stone: Going gluten and dairy free at the same time. I mean, why not? I was about to change my diet completely anyway, right?
Willkomen in Fructopia! In dieser kleinen Welt dreht sich alles um ein gesünderes Leben ohne Fructose, ohne Zucker, ohne Weizen. Schön, dass ihr da seid! 
